


Shades of Purple

by maderi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dorks in Love, Epic Fail, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, If you’re sensitive read the notes please, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of Shiro beating death, Post-War, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22946965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maderi/pseuds/maderi
Summary: Throughout his life, Shiro has encountered a magnitude of different shades of purple, some of them promised pain and damnation, but only one of them worked as a constant beacon to freedom, unconditional love, and safety.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 25
Collections: Shiro Birthday Exchange 2020





	Shades of Purple

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thequeenwhowaited](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequeenwhowaited/gifts).



> Tw. There is a kiss between Shiro and Keith before Shiro leaves for Kerberos and they share a bed, holding each other (in pj’s) for a few weeks before the mission.
> 
> I chose not to tag it as ‘underage’ as I don’t see this as needing the ‘underage’ tag.
> 
> _________________________________________________
> 
> This is a gift for TheQueenWhoWaited in Shiro’s Birthday Exchange 2020. I hope I managed to hit some of the things you wanted and that you find the read enjoyable :) 
> 
> Happy Birthday, Shiro! ❤️

“What are we doing here, Keith?” Shiro asked, bewildered as to why Keith would bring him all the way out to the desert at night when he had thought a surprise birthday party had been "secretly" planned instead.

Keith just smiled back at him, speeding up and making the hoverbike rush forward. Clutching onto Keith’s middle, Shiro hisses at the pull in his shoulder, the new prosthetic still tender in the joints.

“Sorry,” Keith adds hastily as he slows down again.

As far as trips go, Shiro could have done without this one. The night chill is biting into his skin, cold even through the thickly layered jacket Keith had insisted that he wear. The night was as crystal clear as one of the galaxies millions of light-years away, the stars glittering beautifully in the dark vastness.

Shiro knew well what lay beyond them, they both did.

Resting his cheek on Keith’s broadly muscled shoulder, Shiro wasn’t surprised to feel his boyfriend’s free hand squeezing reassuringly over one of his own arms tightly wound around his middle. Keith’s incredible warmth made the biting cold just a little bit more bearable.

“Do you remember the last time we were here?” Keith murmurs long minutes later.

Shiro’s been too wrapped up in Keith's heat to even notice that they have stopped. Opening his sleepy, tired eyes, Shiro takes longer than he would have like to admit, to recognize where they had been headed. Just beyond the hoverbike, the ground disappears as the desert sand cuts off into a sharp cliff that Shiro knows all too well.

Years ago, he had taken Keith here, had shown him the serenity that came with being out in the vastness that swallowed them whole. It had been Shiro’s only place of quiet refuge, the only place where he could truly be alone and leave behind the stress of being The Galaxy Garrison's famous Takashi Shirogane, The Golden Boy.

When he had met Keith, he had recognized that same need for freedom in the young, troubled boy. Inevitably, he hadn’t minded sharing his sanctuary with him. And as the years went by and their friendship strengthened further, Shiro knew he had made the right choice. Keith’s growth was proof enough of that.

“Shiro?” Keith pushes gently, both hands squeezing lightly on Shiro’s forearms, softly pulling him back to the desert once more.

“Mmh...” Shiro hums, resting his chin on top of Keith’s shoulder, “It was a few weeks before the Kerberos mission.”

And how could he forget?

_For the first time in years, he had truly been alone, his quarters empty and deserted except for the regulated issued furniture. It made Shiro realize just how wrong they had been for each other. In a desperate attempt to deny the fact staring back at him every time he entered his home, Shiro had gone on a spree shopping round. He’d bought so much stuff before dragging himself and his bags home, only to collapse on the couch. It had been a pointless, desperate cry to defy the reality of the situation._

_On the couch was where Keith found him hours later, surrounded by the bags of stuff Shiro would never have the use of. Keith, as usual, had been the sound of reason for Shiro, gently guiding him through his emotions before requesting a leave of absence on the following day for the two of them. Shiro should have been worried about the fact that Keith somehow knew all his passwords and could use Shiro's rank to get them a day off, but he had been exhausted to the bone, his worries bleeding away a few moments later when Keith had guided him to the bathroom. Keith had gently pushed him towards the shower and then helped him get ready for bed before tucking him in. Cutting the lights, Keith had taken off his own uniform and laid down beside Shiro, cradling him tightly._

_Shiro shouldn’t have, but he had turned around and put his head on Keith’s chest as he clutched onto his best friend as if his life depended on it. He’d slept peacefully for the first time in weeks and when he woke up to the mouth-watering smell of breakfast, Shiro couldn’t help but ignore the small voice of reason that kept nagging him about something important._

_Keith, unlike Shiro, had taken charge and made him returned everything Shiro had bought the previous day. Like a zombie, Shiro had walked behind Keith the whole time, letting the young boy fix his mistakes. It made Shiro entertain the thought of what Keith would be like as an adult, made him wonder what a few more years would do to him and how it would shape him. He almost regretted accepting the mission to Kerberos, if only because Keith was too young to join him. At that moment, getting dragged after Keith, Shiro had wanted to stay, had wanted to witness the year he’d miss out on, had wanted to see the man Keith would grow into. As Keith finished righting Shiro’s mistake shopping, as he saw to it that Shiro got something nutritious to eat, Shiro knew that Keith would always be there for him. Whether he went to Kerberos or not,_ _Keith would always save him._

_Later that day, after food and a nap, Shiro had taken Keith hoverbiking, had raced him to every challenging cliff he could think of before ending up here. The setting sun painted the skies aflame, the colors dancing playfully over Keith’s face, making his beautiful purple eyes absolutely breathtaking. Shiro had felt a sting shoot through his heart, which in itself was nothing new when it came to Keith, but for the first time, Shiro had understood why._

_Somehow, Keith had sneaked his way under Shiro’s skin, had taken up permanent residence inside his heart without him knowing it, kicking out any previous tenant that had resided there. Shiro couldn’t even pinpoint when this had happened, the feeling coming on so gradually it all just kind of blended together, leaving him as clueless as ever before. In the warm glow of the setting sun, the hot summer breeze rushed passed them to jump off of the cliff before them, Shiro had jumped with it._

_“Keith...” His voice had been rough, nervous, as he addressed his best friend._

_Worried, purple eyes had looked up at him like so many times before, but this time, it seemed like they held the key to all of Shiro’s secrets, as if Keith already knew what Shiro was thinking, even before Shiro himself did._

_Reaching out to hold the side of Keith’s face, a bolt of lightning raced through his chest when Keith had closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek into Shiro's palm. Lifting his thumb just the tiniest bit, Shiro had dared to caress Keith’s sharp cheekbone, feeling the soft skin beneath his thumb, watching closely as those piercing purple eyes opened and stared back at him questioningly. Removing his hand, to Keith’s surprised protest, Shiro had bent his head and removed his dog tags, clutching the silver plates in his palm, before almost shyly looking up into Keith’s eyes beneath his lashes._

_Straightening his shoulders and lifting his head, Shiro stared straight into the purple orbs that had stolen his heart. Without any words, without any thought as to the meaning of what he was doing, Shiro had placed his dog tags around Keith’s neck, watching as those sharp eyes had widened in surprise as if he had doubted that Shiro would actually go through with it._

_No words had been shared between them as Keith clutched the tags in his hand, eyes pierced onto them, maybe to make sure that this was, in fact, real, that this had actually happened. Looking up at Shiro again, Keith’s eyebrows had knit together tightly in an expression Shiro knew all too well. Biting his tongue, Shiro had waited for the words to gather in Keith’s head, not at all surprised when a short moment later, Keith had huffed and nodded to himself before squaring his shoulders._

_“Just promise me you’ll come back to me,” Keith had said surprisingly firm, eyes refusing Shiro to break contact with Shiro's as the words register in his head._

_Reaching out to hold Keith’s face again, Shiro had let his thoughts wander, again ignoring that insistent voice of reason screaming something at him. Bending down, Shiro’s lips had met Keith’s in a soft blend of unvoiced emotions and desperation, making the kiss sweet and innocent, but overflowing with something achingly similar to love. Breaking the kiss happened naturally, their foreheads meeting as they paused together, taking in the sensations and feelings flowing through them. When Shiro eventually had opened his eyes again, strong purple orbs stared reassuringly back up at him._

_As if a contract signed between them, sealed with a kiss, Shiro had felt clearness settle for the first time in his life. The future had unfogged, and Shiro could see what it held in store for him. A home, a sense of belonging, a husband, love, and laughter, eternity. Shiro and Keith could explore the furthest pockets of the galaxy....together._

_That night, they had gone to bed together again, holding each other as they let the words that couldn’t be voiced flow unsaid between them. The next weeks followed suit much the same way, Keith sleeping in Shiro's quarters under the nose of everyone else. Purple had been the last thing Shiro saw before he fell asleep at night and purple had been the first thing he had seen as he woke up in the morning._

_Unbeknown to Shiro, the next year would be filled with multiple shades of purple, none as clear or terrifyingly knowing as Keith’s eyes, but purple nonetheless. It would bring him pain unlike anything Shiro had ever experienced before, but in the midst of it all, Keith’s eyes would shine like a beacon in the darkness._

_Shiro had had a mission, a promise to fulfill; he had to get back to Keith again._

“Our first kiss,” Shiro hums as the memories fade away.

Clutching his chest, Keith looks into Shiro’s eyes, hand finding his prosthetic and lacing their fingers together before squeezing reassuringly. Years had gone by since then and Keith had grown into a man, unlike anything Shiro could have ever imagined. His raven hair braided and long as it rested over the wide expanse of one of his shoulders, following down the equally wide chest, down to a dangerously narrow, but powerful waist. Long, strong legs left him at almost Shiro’s height, tall enough to look into his eyes now, instead of up.

“You promised me you would come back to me,” Keith murmurs, “and despite everything that happened to you, you did.”

Reaching out to gently push away his unruly bangs, Keith took a strand of the white hair between his fingers and twirled it around, making an antenna stand out like a unicorn's horn. Snorting and smirking, Keith ducked down to bump his forehead against Shiro’s collarbone.

“There’s no force alive that could ever keep me away from you, Keith,” Shiro assures, and the unsaid whisper of ‘death’ hangs between them.

“Hmpf,” Keith huffs as he raises his head to look into Shiro’s eyes again, “I think you’re the only person I’ve ever known that has stared death in the eyes twice and told it ‘bitch, not today’. " 

The grin on Keith’s face is endearing, though Shiro sees the sadness and the underlying fear that hides in those ‘wise beyond their years’ purple eyes. Fondness and adoration beyond anything Shiro has ever experienced before, suddenly coursed through him.

“Marry me,” Shiro whispered, watching as the surprise in Keith’s eyes explodes into glittering magnificence.

Time slowly moves past them, Keith’s comm beeping discreetly, probably announcing that midnight has made itself known, the only sound between them. Smiling gently, Shiro can see the gears working full time inside Keith’s head, the younger man processing everything.

Had Shiro been any other man, he would have been worried about rejection as the minutes passed by, but as if un-pausing a movie, Keith comes back to full operation again, this time with a glint in his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he produces a small box and before he opens it, Shiro already knows what it contains.

Two beautiful rings sit inside the box, a mesmerizing illuminated white-blue circle splitting the luxite rigs. Looking up into Keith’s eyes, he’s not at all surprised to see the question waiting in the deep orbs that have kept Shiro alive for the past many years.

“Y-yes,” He croaks, voice suddenly rough as he momentarily forgets about his own spontaneous question, completely ignoring how he hijacked Keith’s proposal just because the love he held for Keith finally, **finally** , had overflown.

“Good. I wouldn’t have accepted any other response,” Keith grins smugly as he untwines their fingers and reaches in to remove the smallest of the two rings.

Shiro is about to comment on how it probably won’t fit when Keith slides it onto his ring finger, the luxite ring sliding down in a perfect fit. It looks right on his finger as if it had been a part of him that had been missing since birth.

“You’re a deep sleeper,” Keith shrugs as Shiro looks questioningly at him.

Taking the bigger ring and sliding it onto Keith’s finger, Shiro is actually a little surprised to see the ring fits perfectly too. Through the years, he’s gotten used to being the biggest person in a room, he had grown used to ill-fitted gear and uniforms, to towering over other people. To actually be the smaller of the two, despite being taller and broader, was pleasing something hidden deep within him.

Intertwining their fingers again, Keith looked into Shiro’s eyes before leaning in to kiss him gently. Refusing to let Keith go again, Shiro deepens the kiss, wounding his free arm around Keith’s waist to squeeze him close.

“I’m sorry I messed up your proposal,” He eventually murmurs when they break apart, foreheads resting against each other again.

“It was for the best,” Keith smirks, “I’ve never been good with feelings. Probably would have cried and ruined it before I even got to the marry me part,”

“Ask me,” Shiro begged with a smile, watching Keith frown and then sigh.

“You hate me, don’t you?” He asks instead, making Shiro chuckle fondly.

“Absolutely,” he agrees, grinning when Keith huffs and breaks apart.

“Takashi Shirogane, will you do me the honor of...-“ Keith starts before shaking his head and getting down on one knee, big vulnerable eyes looking up at him, the purple almost glowing as it’s illuminated by their rings.

“Kashi....hmmh,” Keith interrupts himself again, rising from his kneeling position before Shiro, a deep frown firmly etched on his face now.

“We’ve faced death together, conquered the un-conquerable and saved alternate dimensions from bleeding into our own. We’ve been through more than anyone else and still, proposing to the love of my life is the one thing that defeats me...” Keith huffs in annoyance, though Shiro can’t get past the ‘love of my life’ part.

“I’d be honored if you wanted to be my husband, - if you would consider spending the rest of our lives together.” Keith eventually lands on, the purple glittering as they meet his eyes, “Shiro, will you marry me?”

Smiling gently, Shiro feels his chest burst with love for the man before him, the love of his life, his soulmate. Huffing softly, tears filled his eyes, blurring the vision of Keith to a love shaped blob before him. Blinking away the wetness, Shiro nods, - smiles wider and nods again.

“Always, Keith, always.” He manages to croak out through the now falling tears.

He’d been strong for so long, and to be able to break down those walls, to be allowed to not be the strong one, the one who had to have all the answers, Shiro let himself get pulled into Keith’s strong arms. Feeling the tight cocoon that wound around him was so soothing, comforting in a way only Keith managed. He had always been allowed to be himself around Keith and to know for certain that the man holding him wanted Shiro just as much as he wanted Keith, let the last barriers Shiro had held onto crumble to be blown away by the late February breeze that ghosted past them.

Purple may have been the source of torture and heartache for Shiro, but with the pair before him looking into his eyes, so full of love and adoration, it erased all the shades of purple in between. Tonight, the promise of ever after, of galaxies and adventures far beyond the dirt beneath their feet, was enough to have Shiro let go of any insecurities that still resided within him.

“Happy birthday, Shiro,” Keith whispers before he leans in for a kiss that has Shiro’s knees go weak. He knows now, that this is only the beginning.

~ The End

**Author's Note:**

> ✨ Thank you for reading! ✨  
> ✨ I hope you enjoyed! ✨  
> 💫🪐💫


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